


Rose Promise

by emmabeth



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Shapeshifting, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Wings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-06 19:10:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15201506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmabeth/pseuds/emmabeth
Summary: Yuuri had never been the most talented Prince in the Empire, is magic skills were well below those of the other royals. Yet he is the one selected to be sent away in an arranged marriage to the barbaric and mysterious Demon King. All Yuuri can hope for is to survive, happiness doesn’t matter and love is certainly out of the question.





	1. Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> Who is ready for a fantasy epic? I know I am! I hope you all enjoy this different type of story.

Yuuri shuffled home quickly, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with anyone on the road. He just knew someone was going to recognize him and he’d do anything to avoid that. The Exhibition had been a humiliating event. Yuuri had never performed so badly. And that was in a history of bad performances. Even now, he could hear the disappointed sighs and the rude comments.

Safely home, Yuuri barricaded the door and threw himself on the bed. He was never going to leave it again.

“Yuuri!” A strong voice shouted through the door that Yuuri had blocked with a pile of chairs a week ago.

Yuuri shuddered when he recognized Celestino’s voice. He crawled under his blanket and shapeshifted into a tiny mouse, hoping the person pounding on the door would go away.

A magical whirring noise proceeded the chairs blocking the door flying back across the room to be set around the table again. The bolt in the door was also unlocked by magic and in strode a frustrated looking Celestino.

Yuuri squeaked in his little mouse voice and burrowed further under the blanket.

“Not today, Yuuri. You’ve been summoned by the High Council.” Celestino pulled back the blanket and exposed Yuuri’s hiding place.

_ The High Council? They never summoned him. _

Yuuri trembled, it must mean something terrible was going to happen.

“Let’s go.” Celestino was used to Yuuri’s antics and didn’t even hesitate before simply picking up the brown mouse and putting it in his shirt pocket.

He strode out of the apartment and climbed into the waiting carriage. Carefully, he pulled Yuuri out of his pocket and put him on the seat.

With a little sad squeak about his inescapable fate, Yuuri shifted back into human form.

“I don’t know why they summoned you,” Celestino said, it was clear he was also anxious.

“Probably because I did so badly during the Royal Exhibition. They saw my performance and they decided I can no longer be a Prince. They are going to exile me,” Yuuri spoke quickly, his voice cracking a little and he had to fight the urge to turn back into something small.

Celestino sighed, “Rubbish! They are not going to exile you! We just need to get to the High Council chambers and find out what they want.”

Yuuri tugged on his clothes. He was still in pajamas and not at all ready for a meeting with the High Council. Celestino was a wonderful attendant in many ways, but he tended to forget that Yuuri needed a lot of help to get anywhere near publicly presentable.

The carriage drove them down the city streets. Even after all these years in the capitol, Yuuri didn’t really feel at home. The Green River was the seat of the whole empire, every kingdom under the Empire’s rule was involved in making the Green River the greatest city in the world.

The capital was a prosperous city, everywhere people were bustling and the magical energy practically rolled off every surface. Tall skyscrapers and pollution clogged up the view of the sky, down here near the ground everything was dimly lit with magical street lamps. The sides of buildings had grass growing up them, so nearly everything was covered in life somehow. To Yuuri though, the greenery looked pale and limp compared to real grass that could grow in soil.

It was tradition for royal children to leave home at a young age and train at the magical academy in the capital. Strangely, Yuuri had actually lived more of his life here, with Celestino looking after him, than he’d lived at home with his family. Yet the capital wasn’t home. For him, home was back in the Eastern Province, surrounded by the natural hot springs and rural setting.

They pulled up at the Imperial Palace. The day to day running of the Empire was ruled by the Councils, usually selected from the most powerful sorcerers in each province. The High Council controlled everything in the Empire and most importantly to Yuuri, they dealt with the royalty from each of the Provinces.

Even here, away from the skyscrapers of the inner city, the daylight was dim. The Palace was made of an imposing black marble, perfect for channeling magical energy but making the building look rather depressing to Yuuri. Celestino got out of the carriage and gave Yuuri a hand down.

He set a brisk pace, Yuuri almost had trouble keeping up with him as they practically jogged toward the High Council chambers. The inside of the palace was designed like a labyrinth, you could only go down corridors that lit up with magical torches that read your invitation card and guided you down the right path. Luckily, Celestino was the one in charge of the card this time. The first time Yuuri had come here, he’d been in charge of his own card and had spent a whole day wandering lost in the dark.

The corridor widened out as they approached the High Council rooms. The torches guided them toward a large pair of red double doors.

“Prince Yuuri is here to answer his summons,” Celestino said to a guard.

The guard nodded and turned to pass the message on. A thick plush purple carpet appeared under their feet as they waited. Celestino turned and put a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder.

“Remember, other princes are summoned often, so this is nothing unusual. Perhaps they are going to recognize you at last,” he said comfortingly.

Yuuri smiled, feeling a little better.

“And whatever you do, do not shapeshift,” he reminded with a stern look.

Yuuri nodded. Thankfully, he had better control over his powers than when he was younger. However, when his emotions got out of control, he would often shift before he could stop himself. His smile faded a little when he thought about how the High Council reacted last time he’d shapeshifted in front of them.

“I’ll be careful,” Yuuri promised.

Celestino gave him a pat on the back and the double doors opened.

The chambers were just as imposing as Yuuri remembered. The thirteen High Council members sat up in a semi-circle, looking down on Yuuri and Celestino as they entered.

“Thank you Celestino, you may go.” One of the Council members dismissed him.

Yuuri sighed when they sent him away.

“Prince Yuuri,” a male Council member snapped.

Yuuri’s spine straightened in response and he stood perfectly still. “Yes, sir?” he asked cautiously.

“What can you tell us about the Winter Wars?”

Clenching his hands, Yuuri tried to relax a little. A history test? Well, it was bizarre but he should be able to answer their questions.

“The Winter Wars,” his voice was a little shaky but he spoke clearly, “were started by the Demon Army. They attack our country and steal our valuable secrets and… other valuables…” Yuuri stammered, “The wars ended twenty years ago when they finally accepted a treaty.”

The High Council was quiet for a moment and Yuuri’s palms began to sweat.

“The terms of the treaty are not known by the public,” another Council member said. “In essence, we have agreed upon an exchange of knowledge every year.”

Yuuri nodded a little, unsure why they were sharing this with him.

“However,” another Council member spoke, “the King of the Demons who we are used to dealing with, will be stepping down soon to make way for his son.”

Yuuri’s head was beginning to spin, as he had to keep snapping his eyes around the room to give attention to each speaker.

“The Demon Prince rumored to not be favorable to our treaty.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened in comprehension. If the Prince was soon going to become King, and the new King didn’t like the treaty, then there might be another war.

“Prince Yuuri.” The first speaker leaned forward over the desk to look down at Yuuri closely. “Do you love this Empire? Your true country?”

“Of course!” Yuuri said without hesitation.

“Then we are asking you to make a sacrifice for your country.”

To his credit, Yuuri didn’t flinch. “I’ll do what the Empire needs me to do,” he affirmed. 

Even though Yuuri knew he wasn’t the best prince in the whole Empire, he knew that as a prince, he needed to be the first to make sacrifices for his people.

“We have arranged for you to be married to the Demon Prince.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You are going to wed the Demon Prince and assure the realm's safety. Unity in marriage is the ultimate sacrifice that will prevent them from attacking our kingdom.”

Yuuri managed a small ‘yes’ before he transformed into a tiny brown gerbil that tried to hide under the carpet.

After being interviewed for several hours by the High Council, Yuuri was quite exhausted. They drilled him on his court manners, history, and above all, the information he should not pass on to the Demons under any circumstances. Yuuri thought the last was rather unfair, after all, it was a peace treaty, if there was to be a more stable peace there should be trust. But he didn’t say that to the High Council of course. He meekly agreed with everything they said.

The council turned him lose after what seemed like an eternity. It had also taken him a couple hours before he’d calmed down enough to return to human form. Yuuri stumbled back into the dark marble hallway. Celestino was at his side instantly, taking his elbow.

“Oh, thank goodness you are here. I’m so tired.”

Celestino didn’t reply, but that wasn’t unusual. He guided Yuuri back out to the coach. Instead of Celestino’s usual coach, it was a traveling coach. Yuuri was glad when he climbed into it, the traveling coaches had two bench seats and they were plush and perfect for sleeping.

“You get some sleep Yuuri, you seem tired,” Celestino said softly.

“You didn’t have to get this coach just for me,” Yuuri said, feeling a little guilty for making Celestino work so hard.

“The council offered it to us. Get some rest.” He gave Yuuri a little smile.

Too tired to argue, Yuuri just nodded. Though the bench was long enough for him to spread out easily, when you wanted to sleep well, nothing beat being a cat. Yuuri shapeshifted into a cat and curled up on the soft cushioned seat. He was asleep almost instantly.

When Yuuri woke up, he was surprised to see Celestino asleep. The older man had one leg up on the bench and was slightly hunched over. He seemed deeply asleep, though uncomfortable.

With a little kitty smile, Yuuri padded over to the window and put his paws up on the glass, wondering where they were. If it was just a trip around back across Green River, they should be there by now. Yuuri’s heart soared when he thought that maybe he was getting a trip back home to see his parents.

Outside, all Yuuri could see was a frozen icy winter, snow blowing and frost covering the edges of the glass. For half a moment, he thought about how strange it was that there was a blizzard during such a mild autumn. Then Yuuri jumped back, his spine arched. He realized that this wasn’t an ordinary blizzard. They were in the Winter Wastes. It was a desolate part of the Empire, once prosperous, but cursed during the war with the Demons. Wherever the Demon blood was spilled, the land became frozen in an eternal winter.

Yuuri yowled at Celestino, demanding an explanation. However, as soon as the yowl left his mouth, he realized with a sad sinking feeling what this meant. He was being taken directly to the Demon kingdom. Not a single goodbye to his family or friends, not that he had many… but still. He was being whisked away, sent off to marry a stranger.

Yuuri settled back on the seat bench, clutching his tail between his paws. It wasn’t the first time in his life he’d been sent away from everything he knew and cared about. So at least he had some experience, he told himself. So long as he didn’t think about the fact that he was going to the land of Demons or that he was going to have a husband, everything was almost bearable. He cuddled his fuzzy tail until he fell back asleep.

The carriage stopping woke Yuuri. Celestino was looking out the window.

“We are still in the wastes though,” Celestino said suspiciously.

It was true, the eternal winter was still blowing around outside the windows. The carriage door opened and Yuuri jumped in surprise.

“Sorry, Your Highness.” The driver bowed. “It seems the Demons have sent a coach of some sort. They say they are here to convey Prince Yuuri the rest of the way.”

Yuuri peaked around the driver to see what he was talking about. Fifty yards away was a glistening globe that didn’t look like any kind of carriage Yuuri had ever seen. The wheels and trimming were made of silver and the coach itself looked like it was a shining snowball almost, but delicate as the frost on a pane of glass. Two large coal black horses were hooked up to the coach, their manes appeared to be made of smoke.

Entranced by the strange coach, Yuuri shifted back to his human form, trying to get a better look.

A dark figure appeared behind the driver of Yuuri’s coach. He easily dwarfed the driver, his large and tall muscular frame blocking the whole door.

“The deal said nothing about passing Prince Yuuri over to you,” Celestino objected.

“My master, the King, asked me to pass this to you,” he said, his voice as gruff and dark as his exterior. When he passed a letter to Celestino, Yuuri noticed he had fur on the back of his hands and his fingers were tipped with dark claws instead of fingernails. Taking a good look at him, Yuuri saw that he was some sort of man-beast.

He saw Yuuri watching him. He bowed his head, his large wolf ears were laid back against his head, showing some level of aggravation. Because Yuuri had spent a good deal of time as an animal, he was better at reading them than most people.

“My name is Otabek. I’m a Knight sworn to the King. It’s my privilege to guide you to your new home Prince Yuuri.” His rough voice didn’t convey much emotion.

Celestino closed the note with a sigh. “Yuuri, it seems the King wants you to arrive in royal style.” The tone of Celestino’s voice perfectly conveyed how little he thought of Demon style.

“I see,” Yuuri said softly, bowing his head.

“You don’t have to go.” Celestino put a comforting hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “I promised I would take you there. It is the least I can do for you.”

Yuuri bit his lip, it was very tempting. However, sooner or later Celestino would leave his side anyway. Besides, it may anger the King if they ignored his letter.

“Thank you, but no. I will manage from here, Celestino.” Yuuri gave him a brave smile.

The older man drew back and gave Yuuri a knowing smile, he knew his charge too well to be fooled by that smile.

“Very well.” He knew better than to keep probing when Yuuri made up his mind. “It’s been an honor to serve you, Your Highness.” Celestino bowed as best he could from his seat.

Yuuri fought a wave of emotion. Since the time he’d been seven years old and so scared to leave home, Celestino had been there to watch out for him. For fifteen years, Celestino had always been there to help Yuuri and now they were going to be separated. Maybe forever.

“Thank you for everything,” Yuuri said softly before turning away, not wanting to cry in front of the strange knight.

The driver of Yuuri’s coach helped him down. Yuuri was only wearing a soft pair of indoor shoes that got wet instantly as he stepped into the snow. Now that he thought about it, he was still in his pajamas, he realized with embarrassment.

“I had servants pack up your luggage while the High Council was interviewing you. They are going to take it over now. So it should be in that carriage of theirs,” Celestino explained.

Yuuri was glad that he at least had something of his own to take to the strange Demon lands. He stomped through the snow that came up almost halfway to his knee.

The Knight Otabek trailed along beside him, the snow only over his ankles which were covered in boots, Yuuri noted with envy.

Hurrying to open the door, the Knight helped Yuuri into the coach. Yuuri was fascinated that the interior resembled what Yuuri pictured as the inside of a cotton ball. It was all soft fuzz, the sides lined with delicate windows made of snow.

“I will ride on the back of the coach. Just knock if you require something.” The knight bowed and shut the door.

Yuuri sat on the puffy seat and looked around the inside. There was a chest across from him, holding a blanket and several bottles of liquid that smiled like alcohol. At the bottom of the chest was a little bag of spiky objects that smelled like candy, but didn’t look like any candy Yuuri recognized. He pulled the blanket up over himself and sat back, hoping the journey wasn’t long. On the other hand, the journey could take forever as far as he was concerned. Going to meet the Demon Prince didn’t sound like anything Yuuri had any desire to do.

His every instinct was to turn into something little so he could hide. A piglet maybe. But Yuuri had been warned by the council to not expose his magic to the demons. So he sat in the carriage, trying to find his inner courage. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should be updating twice a month. Let me know what you think or if you have any ideas for something you would like to see. I love getting feedback and adding fan requests into the story.  
> I also need to thank my amazing beta for all her help. [Shades of Cool](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shades_0f_Cool) I love ya!


	2. A Rocky Start

The road finally turned into the cobblestone feel that Yuuri recognized; he looked out the window, delighted to see the snow was gone. On the heels of that thought, he realized it meant they’d entered the demon lands. It was a sobering thought that made him slump over in his seat, away from the window.

Preferring to see as little as possible of his new home, Yuuri threw the blanket over his head. If he got scared off now it would only make things worse, better to arrive at the palace in as much ignorance as possible.

At last, the carriage stopped and Yuuri pulled the blanket off his head after taking a steadying breath. He had one last moment to wish he was properly dressed before the carriage door opened. It just didn’t seem right to be arriving in his pajamas. 

The beautiful light of a bright sun streaming through fall leaves shone into the carriage. They were parked at the end of an avenue of trees, the smell of autumn filled the air and was a very pleasant change from the smell of the city that Yuuri was used to. The breath of fresh air as the door opened helped Yuuri feel a little more relaxed. It had been so long since he’d been out in the open free air, he was drawn toward the doorway. 

Otabek was suddenly there, holding out his hand to help Yuuri down. The view of freedom crumbled and Yuuri was left facing the truth that he might never be free again.

With marked hesitation, Yuuri took Otabek’s clawed hand and stepped down onto the worn stone pathway. They seemed to be entering a side door of the palace, but even from the side, the building was beautiful.

Unlike the Imperial Palace, this one had clearly been built to be appealing to the eye rather than for defense. The stone walls seemed to be made from a natural sandstone that blended and complimented the surrounding park. The trees made it hard to see more of the building or what the surrounding country looked like, but the garden they were in was rather pretty to look at at least.

Yuuri could not have been more surprised. From what he’d imagined the realm and Kingdom of Demons to be like… this was about the opposite.

Otabek simply stood still, waiting patiently while Yuuri gaped at the surroundings.

With a little embarrassed blush, Yuuri nodded to the knight to let him know that he was ready to proceed.

They entered the palace through a side door as Yuuri had predicted, Otabek nodding to the guard on duty. Yuuri tried not to stare at the guard, he was a brilliant shade of green with orange hair.

Inside the palace, everything had an elegant, yet simple design. It was just as bright as it had been on the outside, and there was greenery everywhere, making Yuuri feel almost as if he wasn’t indoors at all.

“Your Highness.” Someone was bowing in front of Yuuri.  

Yuuri shook himself, realizing he’d missed a cue somewhere as to who this was.

The man bowing picked up his head after a moment. He was also a man-beast of some sort, though not a wolf like Otabek, more like a hamster. At least, that was Yuuri’s guess from the shape of his fuzzy ears.

“I am Phichit. It’s my great honor to offer myself as your assistant.” He gave Yuuri a wide smile, his mousy whiskers shimmering in the light.

“Thank you, Phichit.” Yuuri gave him a little nod, not quite sure of the protocol. It was clear that this was no servant, at least by Imperial standards. Yuuri started making a mental list of all his questions he needed to figure out at some point.

With his hands clasped together in joy, Phichit grinned at Yuuri and then at Otabek. “This is wonderful.” 

Yuuri was surprised by how happy Phichit looked and wondered if maybe this alliance was better for the Demons than he’d been led to believe.

“It’s time to meet with the King,” Otabek spoke. Yuuri wondered if his voice was rough simply because he didn’t use it often or if it had something to do with being a man-beast.

Phichit eyed Yuuri up and down. His smile didn’t dim. “Prince Yuuri, if it’s agreeable, let’s find a room for you to freshen up in before your audience with the King.”

It could have been viewed as an insult, but Yuuri was so thankful for the chance he could have kissed the hamster man. “That would be very agreeable.”

The three of them made their way down several hallways until Phichit opened a door. Thankfully, they didn’t see anyone on their way, because Yuuri was still ogling the decorations and marveling at how lovely everything was.

Phichit pulled on a large rope as soon as they entered the room. It appeared to be a guest room of some sort. As with everything else Yuuri had seen, the room was light and airy.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about fashion in the Dark Realm… err, in your country.” Phichit gave a big smile, “But how would you feel about donning some clothes from our country?”

Yuuri hardly noticed Phichit’s slip, calling the Empire the ‘dark realm’ instead, he was too busy blushing at his pajamas being mistaken for any kind of fashion.

“My trunks should have had more clothes in them for me though…” Yuuri looked to Otabek.

“I’ll have someone bring the trunk in.” Otabek nodded and pulled the same rope that Phichit had.

Phichit played with his whiskers for a moment, flicking them a little, “Prince Yuuri, as your assistant I would suggest wearing our clothes for this visit at least.” He spoke hesitantly, his voice squeaking a little.

Yuuri reluctantly nodded, he really would feel more comfortable in his own clothes. However, in this circumstance, he needed to trust Phichit. Someone had assigned him an assistant it only made sense to listen to his advice. “Okay. Something simple though, just a shirt and pants?” he suggested.

“Pants?” Phichit looked at Yuuri with a curious expression and then turned to Otabek who just shrugged.

Yuuri slowly realized that Otabek was wearing some sort of tunic and leggings, and Phichit was wearing a formal robe. No pants. Though a change of fashion was probably the smallest change he was going to encounter today, Yuuri sort of collapsed into a nearby chair, feeling very uneasy.

“Whatever you want is fine,” he said wearily to Phichit, who was looking at him with concern.

Several servants came and took Yuuri’s measurements. Each of them was a unique sort of being, but nothing truly frightening like Yuuri had been led to believe the demons were.

They dressed him in light blue leggings that hugged Yuuri’s body in an unfamiliar way but they were deliciously soft so Yuuri almost didn’t mind. A deep blue colored tunic top was made of the same soft fabric and felt wonderful. They clipped some sort of jeweled belt around Yuuri’s waist and managed to get Yuuri’s hair to look presentable.

Glancing at himself in the mirror, Yuuri was rather pleased at the overall look, even if it was strange.

“What about shoes?” he asked curiously.

“Shoes?” Phichit asked. “Ah, I see. Well, usually nobles who don’t leave the palace or their home grounds don’t wear shoes.” Phichit even held up his own foot to show he didn’t wear shoes.

Yuuri looked down at his bare feet, he would love to put them into anything even resembling a shoe slightly. However, he didn’t have the will to battle Phichit. “Very well,” he said a little sadly.

Phichit’s hamster ears twitched, and he looked thoughtfully at Yuuri. Before he could speak though, Otabek loudly cleared his throat.

“Well, I think we are ready,” Phichit said with a bright smile. “It’s time for your audience with the King, Your Highness.”

Yuuri nodded. He let them lead him away, Yuuri didn’t even try to keep track of where he was going, and he was now too nervous to even admire the castle.

After they’d been walking for a little while, Phichit pulled to a stop and knocked on a set of double doors.

The doors opened and Phichit bowed as Yuuri walked into the room.

This room was also bright, but somehow, the feeling in it was less airy and colder than the rest of the palace. It was set up as a casual meeting room, several sofas and a few small tables were in the room, but it was uncluttered and open. The doors shut behind Yuuri, and he jumped a little when he realized that he was now quite alone in this room.

A side door opened and in walked a dark figure. In an instant, Yuuri knew that this was the King of the Demons. He easily towered over Yuuri, the great long wings on his back were similar to a hawk, but the color was dark as night. Large taloned feet clicked on the floor as he approached Yuuri.

“So you are the Prince who is to marry my son.” He eyed Yuuri critically, his icy blue eyes striking fear into Yuuri’s heart.

“Your Majesty.” Yuuri did his best court bow. His voice shook when he spoke and after he bowed his knees and his whole body began to shake in terror. After all, the Demon King was the stuff of nightmares. Every child in the Empire was taught to fear him and here Yuuri was, in a room totally alone with the worst creature in the world.

“Well, you’re about what I expected,” the King said cryptically.

Yuuri of course had no idea how to interpret that, so he stayed silent.

“I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but ask your assistant if you have any issues. I assigned him to you for that purpose.”

Yuuri nodded his head meekly.

“Remember, this alliance is beneficial to both our people. Your job is to make sure that the alliance is successful. So long as you and my son can show the public that peace is possible, I will be satisfied. If the two of you manage to produce offspring, that’s all for the better, but a secondary goal.”

“I understand,” Yuuri said in a small voice.

“Do you?” The king sounded as if he very much doubted that.

“Your wedding will be tomorrow, held in conjunction with the coronation. Don’t…” The King paused as the door opened. “What is it?”

A woman whose lower body appeared to be that of a snake and top half a human, entered the room.

“I beg your pardon for the interruption, King Yakov, but about the matter we were discussing… there has been a development.” She looked at Yuuri, her snake eyes watching him with suspicion.

“Very well.” The King nodded, “Have someone show him to his room.” He waved in Yuuri’s direction before he left the room, the snake woman following.

Blinking rapidly, Yuuri realized he’d survived the encounter with the Demon King. Yes, the King had been the one to arrange all this so it didn’t make sense he’d hurt Yuuri or something, but it was still shocking. Coming face to face with something that he’d been taught to fear his whole life had ended somewhat anticlimactically. The Demon King had been terrifying to look at and no doubt wielded dark powers, but he actually hadn’t done anything evil. It was surprising to say the least. Of course Yuuri was still afraid of him, anything he could do to avoid another audience with the King would be good.

A servant with bat wings entered the room after they left it. He bowed to Yuuri. “Please follow me, Your Highness.” he said.

Yuuri meekly followed the bat servant down several hallways, they walked much further than Yuuri had before. He was feeling very tired despite having slept most of the day, the emotional stress of the last few hours had worn him down.

The servant opened a door and let Yuuri pass into the room first. Yuuri’s eyes were drooping closed and he was having trouble concentrating.

“… if you need anything else, please ring the rope bell.” The servant had said a lot of things before that but Yuuri hadn’t been listening. His eyes had focused in on a little pillow and throw blanket left in the corner of the room on a small sofa.

With a bow from the servant, the doors shut and Yuuri was finally alone. If he’d had any more energy, he would have cried. As it was, he turned himself into a piglet and wormed his way under the blanket on the pillow. Why a piglet? Well, Yuuri had found it was really quite impossible to be unhappy when one was a cute little piggy. The High Council had warned him not to show his powers to the Demons, but Yuuri was sure that in a room by himself he was safe.

“What in the name of all that is green…” A cold voice said. Yuuri’s eyes opened. Towering over him was a creature with long silver hair and great horns on his head. He was holding the blanket Yuuri had been using and looking down with a sneer.

Yuuri squealed and got to his feet, running for cover. He dove under a nearby chair, shuddered, and shook in terror.

A set of pale perfect human feet paced over to the sofa and tapped the toes on one foot. “Come out of there, piggy.”

Yuuri squealed again, a sad little cry of anguish.

“Who would put a pig in my room?” The creature asked himself. Then it groaned, “It can’t be.” He dropped to his knees and looked under the sofa.

Brilliant blue eyes were suddenly on Yuuri’s. “Are you… a Prince?” he asked Yuuri, his voice sounded reluctant to even suggest such a thing.

As Yuuri’s wildly pounding heart calmed down, he remembered where he was and what had happened today. For a brief moment there, he’d been able to forget, until he’d been so rudely awoken.

“Come out or I’ll make you come out,” the silver haired man said with narrowed eyes full of suspicion.

Mustering as much dignity as he could, Yuuri climbed out the other side of the chair from the stranger and turned himself back into his human form. He brushed off a bit of dust from his new shirt. Before he could say anything, the stranger growled and started pacing.

“Must have been that damn woman. She would do something like this. Only she would dare.”

Yuuri watched him with interest. He had a large pair of hawk wings on his back, but they were white with touches of grey, unlike the King’s dark scary ones. He wore a dark red tunic, and it dipped low in the back to leave room for his wings. Also, unlike the King, this man seemed to have normal human hands and feet instead of talons.

“Little piggy.” The blue eyes turned back to him, “You’re just going to have to clear out. Maybe you’ll find a nice sty outside.”

For the first time in several hours, Yuuri actually felt something other than shock. He gave the man his best princely haughty look.

“I don’t think you are in a place to be giving orders. And my name is Prince Yuuri.”

The pretty mouth of the man formed a tight smile. “Oh is that so? And do you even have any idea who I am?”

Yuuri didn’t let himself be intimidated. “Please leave at once or I’ll be forced to call for help.”

“Call for help? Oh, that’s rich. I’d be careful if I was you, little piggy, there are more than a few of us who would just love to  _ help _ someone of your kind.” He said the word help in a way that made the hair on Yuuri’s arms stand up.

Yuuri crossed the room with determination, reaching for the rope bell that would hopefully summon someone.

A cold, pale hand wrapped around Yuuri’s wrist. The strange man grabbed him and was forcing him backwards, the look in his eyes was something Yuuri had never seen before.

“And just what do you think you’re doing? Touching things in my room?”

Yuuri stumbled as he was being pushed backwards. “What do you mean, your room? This is where they told me I was staying.” Yuuri fell onto the sofa with a surprised little noise.

“You really are quite slow, aren’t you? That woman sent you here on purpose. Probably her own little joke and now she’s laughing up a storm with my father.” He released Yuuri’s wrist with a little push but stayed towering over him so Yuuri couldn’t stand up without climbing around him awkwardly.

Yuuri bristled when he was called slow. “I’m not slow, it’s just that you aren’t making sense. Who is the woman, who is your father, who are you?”

Before either of them could say more, the double doors opened and in came the King. He nodded when he saw them together.

“I see you’ve met. Good. Sidonia had a good idea to send him here. Get some rest you two, tomorrow is an important day.” He left as quickly as he’d come.

Yuuri was still half laying down on the sofa where he’d been pushed. He looked up at the silver haired creature with a mix of shock and anger.

“That’s right, piglet. I’m Prince Victor, and tomorrow when I become your spouse, I’ll become your king.”

Yuuri would have loved to argue that point, but as sometimes happened when he was too emotionally overwrought, he shape shifted. One moment he’d been opening his mouth with an angry retort, the next he was a rabbit and Prince Victor just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support of this story with your comments and kudos. It really helps me feel motivated to keep working at it! <3 I was very nervous about a fantasy story so I'm glad to see it looks like you all are enjoying it.


	3. Night Moves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to stick up a little for Victor after last chapter. I'll let him have a chance to explain his reactions later, but please try and consider that he is also being forced into marriage with a stranger so he might not be all sunshine and smiles right now.
> 
> also, okay, yes, the title is silly. But I like it so oh well.

“Where are you going now?” Victor sighed in frustration.

Yuuri pretended not to hear him. He strode across the room and pulled the bell cord for a servant.

“If you’re thinking someone is going to come take you to someplace else, you can forget it. The King has spoken.”

Again, Yuuri just ignored him. He wanted to ring for Phichit, maybe the assistant could help explain a few things.

“Well, you’ll be a far more agreeable spouse if you remain silent so I don’t mind.” Victor laughed. He sat at a vanity table and started brushing his long hair. 

“Of all Demons I had to get paired with you,” Yuuri muttered under his breath.

Setting the silver brush down, Victor turned to Yuuri. “Demon?” he asked tilting his head to the side as if he didn’t understand. Then he smiled and laughed as if he’d just heard something very funny. “Yes, it’s such a shame. I’m a terrible Demon. And my father, he would be…” He looked expectantly at Yuuri.

“The King of Demons,” Yuuri said not sure why Victor was asking something so obvious.

Victor started to giggle. “Well you are very brave to come to… the Land of the Demons?” he said the last in a questioning way.

“Why are you laughing?” Yuuri asked suspiciously.

Victor waved his hands in front of him. “It’s nothing. Just something that we Demons do. So tell me little piggy, we Demons, what do you know about us?”

Yuuri hesitated, he knew Victor was playing some kind of game with him but he didn’t know what exactly. “I don’t have to tell you.”

Getting to his feet, Victor stalked toward Yuuri and for the first time Yuuri realized that Victor was quite tall, Yuuri’s head would probably only come to the top of his shoulders.

“I’m just interested in getting to know you. What land are you from?” He had a polite smile on his face.

Nibbling his lip a little, Yuuri decided he wasn’t losing anything by telling Victor a few things about himself. “I’m from the Eastern Province.”

“The Eastern Province of?”

“The Empire, the Empire of Sorcery,” Yuuri answered as if it was obvious.

Victor nodded a little, his face still a polite mask. “So your people, what are they called, Imperials?”

“Sorcerers. And then we call each other by our Provinces.”

“Very interesting.” Victor looked amused again.

“Why do you-” Yuuri started to ask but the door opened. A servant bowed and awaited instructions.

“I’d like to speak with Phichit,” Yuuri said. The servant bowed again and shut the door.

When Yuuri turned, Victor was already back at the vanity and had begun braiding his hair.

“Why are you so interested?” Yuuri asked, still convinced he was being caught in some game of Victor’s.

“We are going to be married.” Victor shrugged. “So father assigned you a little helper? I’m sure that will be useful as you try and navigate Demon culture.” Victor gave Yuuri a somewhat scary grin. “We are quite savage you see. Better watch yourself, piggy.”

Yuuri got goosebumps but refused to show that Victor had scared him. “I’ll be fine,” he said with a little huff.

“Hmmm, I wonder.” Victor pulled a red ribbon out of a drawer and tied the end of his braid. “Feel free to sleep anywhere out here,” Victor said with a dismissive wave of one hand before he went into an adjacent room that Yuuri hadn’t explored yet.

Hmph. As if Yuuri could sleep again after what happened the last time.

A small knock at the door preceded Phichit walking inside. He had his head bowed even deeper than he’d had before. 

“Your Highness,” he said without lifting his head.

Yuuri thought of Victor’s warning and he bit his lip. He did have a lot of questions, and had hoped Phichit would answer them. But because of Victor’s words, Yuuri wondered if maybe he should be careful about trusting Phichit.

“Phichit, I was hoping you could explain a few things to me,” Yuuri said a little hesitantly.

Phichit carefully lifted his head and looked around the room.“Prince Victor?” he said, looking around Yuuri.

“Oh, he just left through there.” Yuuri pointed to the door Victor had gone through.

“I see.” Phichit looked a little disappointed but also somehow relieved, which intrigued Yuuri.

However, Phichit shook off his feelings and turned to Yuuri with a smile. “You have some questions for me? I would be happy to help however I can.”

Yuuri sat on the sofa, wondering where to start and what would be acceptable for him to ask. At the moment he most wanted to know if Victor really was always that terrible and if so, Yuuri wanted to go home.

“Perhaps, your highness,” Phichit said soothingly, sitting in a chair opposite Yuuri, “I could start with explaining the ceremonies tomorrow.”

A ghost of a smile turned up the corners of Yuuri’s mouth. “Yes, please.”

Phichit nodded. “Well it is our tradition that when the heir to the throne is married, the reigning monarch will step down.”

Yuuri nodded, the Council had told him that much this morning.

“So your wedding will be combined with a coronation. Weddings are very significant in our society, but also they are usually very private affairs. Only royalty and a few other exceptions have public weddings so they are a topic of much interest in the kingdom when they occur.”

Twisting his hands in his lap, Yuuri felt his nerves double.

“Immediately after the wedding, the coronation will take place. Prince Victor will be crowned as King. And you will also be crowned. The new title given to you will be King Consort. Your position comes with it’s own duties, but we can discuss those at a later date if you would like.”

Nodding, Yuuri bit his lip. He was not ready to hear about his new duties. Actually, he was quite shocked to know he’d have any duties at all.

“What else can I help you with?” Phichit gave him a kind look, as if he could tell how upset Yuuri was.

“If there is anything else you can explain to me about what I need to know to navigate tomorrow smoothly. I don’t wish to cause offence through an accidental gesture.”

He had experienced that when he had been transplanted from his childhood home to Green River. In his home province, people didn’t shake hands, but rather they hugged. It had been a hard lesson the day he’d tried to walk around and hug everyone to have them run from him.

Phichit smoothed the fur on his ear while he thought. “It’s difficult to say, things that seem natural to me…. I know very little of Dark Realm customs or what the People of Darkness consider normal.”

“People of Darkness?” Yuuri asked alarmed, hugging himself. “Who are they?” More people from the Demon Lands for him to meet? Why was everything so terrifying?

Phichit blinked in surprise and then a faint blush colored his cheeks. “Forgive me… Are you not from the Dark Realm?”

“No!” Yuuri shook his head, “I’m from the Empire of Sorcery!” Had there been some terrible mix up? “Our people fought together through the Winter Wars, I passed through the Winter Wastes on the way here.”

Phichit looked surprised. “I beg your pardon.” He cleared his throat. “I think I am understanding. We call them the Ice Wars, and the Snowbound Lands.”

Yuuri nodded as he also began to realize that there would be different terms for the same things.

“So your people are called the Empire of Sorcery,” Phichit said.

“Yes. Well, Sorcerers.” Yuuri suddenly realized exactly what Victor had been laughing at before. He sighed. “Your people, they are not called Demons, are they?”

Phichit looked a little offended. “Of course not!” He blushed when he realized he’d shouted. “We are The Fae.”

“Fae.” Yuuri turned the name over on his tongue. 

In his youth, he’d read a lot of stories about a mythical group of people called the Fae. They were supposed to be strange but wonderful creatures. He wondered why his books hadn’t mentioned that real life Fae were living in the kingdom next to the Empire.

Yuuri started to giggle, partly from exhaustion, but also from discovering that the demons he was so afraid of were just imaginary.

Phichit looked a little confused, but he also began to laugh. “I can’t imagine how terrified you must have been coming to a land of Demons!”

A tear rolled out of Yuuri’s eye as he laughed. “Or how scared you must have been to be told you had to care for… what did you call me? A Person of Darkness? Sounds frightening!”

They continued to laugh together for a time both smiling and feeling relieved.

“Prince Yuuri,” Phichit said, his giggles subsiding, “Don’t have another worry about anything. I promise, I will be by your side and I will help you.”

Yuuri smiled, touched by Phichit’s offer. “Thank you. I am afraid I will need lots of help. Even more help now that I know everyone thinks of me as some sort of Dark being.”

Phichit waved his hand. “Not a problem,” he smiled, “We can clear up that misunderstanding. It may take a little time of course, but it will be done.” He sounded so confident that Yuuri felt more confident as well.

A blast of cold air blew around them, making Yuuri shiver.

“If you two are quite done making noise,” Victor hollered form the other room.

Phichit ducked his head, looking guilty. Yuuri looked in awe at the little snowflakes that fell from the thin air for a moment before the spell was broken.

“That is amazing,” he said, sorry he hadn’t been able to examine it more.

“Most Fae are experts at Nature magic. Just like Sorcerers are experts at other kinds of magic. Right?” Phichit asked, uncertain.

Yuuri blushed. “Oh yes, Sorcerers are all very proficient at magic.” Except for Yuuri… but he wasn’t going to tell Phichit that when Victor could clearly overhear them. “I’ve never seen Nature magic like that though.”

“Well, weather spells are a very advanced level.” Phichit smiled. “Prince Victor has more talent for magic than any Fae ever,” he said proudly. 

Phichit got to his feet. “I should be going though, it is late and you will have an early day tomorrow. I’m going to have your trunk moved to this room.” He bowed to Yuuri.

“Thank you for all your help, Phichit.” Yuuri smiled. “I really appreciate you.”

The hamster-man blushed a little. “It’s my honor to be of assistance. Get some rest, your Highness.” He bowed again and left.

Yuuri hugged his arms to himself and sat on the sofa feeling very much alone when Phichit was gone.

The trunk was delivered quickly and Yuuri eagerly dove into it, looking at the things Celestino had considered important enough to pack. With a smile, Yuuri pulled out an old, familiar book and settled onto the sofa to read. Even though he’d been told to rest, he simply couldn’t. His mind was buzzing with everything he’d learned.

There was no way to keep track of passing time, the room had no windows and not a single clock. Yuuri read until his eyes were burning. Closing the book with a sigh, he began to pace around the room. He still had too much nervous energy to sleep.

The room was rather plain, there wasn’t anything that really made it seem different from the guest room Yuuri had been in earlier, except that it was larger. Nothing personal of Victor’s seemed to be on the bookshelf or the walls.

With a nervous glance at the adjacent room, Yuuri debated with himself. The door was cracked open some, but it had probably been several hours since Victor had settled down for the night. Sneaking across the room, Yuuri first examined the vanity that Victor had sat at earlier. It was near the door to Victor’s bedroom, but Yuuri thought he could be quiet.

The silver brush was still on the tabletop, a few long silver hairs caught in the soft bristles. In the top drawer, Yuuri found a kind of polish and a circle shaped wiry brush. Yuuri wondered what it could possibly be for, it was far too scratchy for hair or skin.

On the other side of the vanity was a drawer full of various colored ribbons. Yuuri giggled a little when he took a few of them out. Ribbons in hair seemed so very unlike his idea of a Demon King. If he’d known the Demons wore ribbons like school girls, he would have been ten times less frightened.  

Sadly, the other drawers of the vanity were empty.

Yuuri looked at the open door with increased interest. The quiet stillness of the room made him feel brave. Turning into a cat, because their night vision was much better, Yuuri slipped in through the crack in the door.

The bedroom seemed to also be rather impersonal. A large canopy bed took up most of the room. Yuuri padded around the corners of the room, looking at the dresser and the writing desk where nothing of interest caught his eye.

A soft whimper from the bed made Yuuri’s heart jump. He looked at the figure in a pile of pillows and blankets and before he knew it, he was going over toward him. Hopping up on the nightstand without a sound, Yuuri looked down at the person he was going to marry tomorrow.

Victor slept sprawled all over the bed, clutching at some pillows and kicking others off the bed. His long hair had fallen out of his braid, some of it being tossed over his horns and the rest falling like a curtain over his face. With every gentle exhale, he puffed his hair away from his mouth, making it shimmer a little to Yuuri’s cat eyes.

Yuuri shifted to human form, his bare feet on the cool wood floor. Just one touch, he told himself. He wanted to pull that hair back and see Victor’s face. A gentle sleeping face, not mocking or disdainful, Yuuri just wanted one mental image of him as a benign person.

His fingers slowly slipped under Victor’s hair, for a moment Yuuri marveled at how soft it was.

A vice like hand grabbed Yuuri’s wrist. Victor sat up in bed with a look of true fury.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. He sat up, his white wings opening to their full span. He gripped Yuuri’s wrist, holding it over his head.

“Nothing,” Yuuri pleaded, his wrist hurting in Victor’s hand was nothing compared to the fear he felt from the blazing fire in those blue eyes. There was something else behind that fire, something a lot like fear.

“Don’t lie to me!” Victor barked. Whatever Yuuri had almost seen in his eyes, it was gone.

“I just wanted to see your face!” Yuuri admitted, his fear replaced with an anger of his own.

“My face?” Victor didn’t sound as if he believed him, but he stopped holding Yuuri’s wrist so roughly. “Earlier you wouldn’t look at me, but now you sneak into my bedroom just to see me? Either you are a brilliant liar or a very poor one. I’m guessing the latter.”

“Let go of me.” Yuuri looked down to where Victor was still holding his wrist. Looking down was a mistake, because Yuuri realized that Victor slept very much in the nude.

He blushed bright red and gave his wrist a tug to get away from Victor. Yuuri made sure to turn his eyes toward the ceiling.

Victor released him with a laugh. “And now you are looking away from me again. Is that… are you blushing?” Victor asked with surprise in his voice.

Yuuri didn’t stop to respond, he ran straight out of the room and shut the door tight behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks very much for the support on this story. I hope you all stick with me as we learn more about these characters and this world. Thanks to the lovely [angelzoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelzoo) who did the beta work on this chapter.


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